Crusaders
by Danny McCloy
Summary: A boy's whole life comes crashing down as his parents are brutally killed in front of him by a monster. As he himself was about to be killed, he was saved in the nick of time by a Crusader. What will happen to him as he goes all out to become a Crusader?


**Crusaders**

"Dad! NO!" screamed Gael in desperation. No one should witness the sight of his own father being flung across a room much less a thirteen year old child. Sent soaring through the air, the man crashed into a big oak wood closet that had once stood so magnificently in the dining room. The walls shook threatening, the chandelier overhead dangling perilously over the dining table.

Completely smashing it into bits as his father crashed into it, Gael shut his eyes as the deafening crunching sound reverberated off the walls. Opening his eyes slowly, he burst out crying at the sight of his father lying sprawled in the newly formed debris, his eyes forever closed.

Forcing his teary eyes to glance at another body mere meters away, Gael cried out at the sight of his mother, lying in a pool of blood, her eyes creepily open staring out of the window as though she were admiring the beautiful night sky. Paralyzed with fear, Gael couldn't move an inch, his legs as though nailed to the floor as he turned his head towards the monstrous sight, the beast that had caused his parents to lose their lives that night.

Standing 2 meters tall, its head brushing against the ceiling as it walked, the monstrous beast was covered in hair from head to toe, its long nails scratching across the adjacent wall, licking its lips as it walked towards the still Gael. Like a deer in headlights, Gael was too scared to move, his brain numbed by the events that had just sent his life crashing in mere seconds.

"Please.. Don't kill me.." pleaded Gael, tears running freely down his cheek.

Drool dripped onto the floor as the monster bared its teeth, its face now merely inches away from Gael's. Gael closed his eyes, consigned to his fate. His heart raced quicker than ever as though it were trying to beat as much as it could before it must finally stop. His tears and sweat drops copulated into a single thick pool swelling slowly as new drops fell periodically. Clenching his teeth, as thoughts ran through his mind, he almost prayed for it to be swift and painless; an escape from the tragedy that had just engulfed him.

As the monster prepared for its attack, time seemed to stand still, an almost complete silence falling over the scene, only the soft weeping of Gael persisted. Suddenly, the monster roared loudly as though in pain, as it staggered backwards, its loud footsteps punctuating each roar. Opening his eyes, Gael was blinded by a second by the gleam of silver, the edge of a blade a mere breadth away from the tip of his nose.

Strangely, his knees felt wet and sticky. As he glanced downwards, the ugly figure of the monstrous beast's decapitated head greeted him, the blood from the open wound dripping onto his knees. Screaming in fear, Gael toppled backwards, falling hard on his backside.

"You okay there, buddy?" said a friendly voice.

Gael looked up at the face of his saviour. He was a tall man, probably in his early twenties, with strands of blonde hair falling over his sharp blue eyes. Extending out a hand to help Gael up, the man smiled kindly.

Dazed and confused, Gael struggled to find his voice. For a few seconds, Gael merely stared into the eyes of the young man, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Gael grabbed the hand and was easily hoisted up onto his feet.

"Th-thank y-you," stammered a nervous Gael.

Crying in relief, Gael couldn't believe how close he had been to dying. A tornado of emotions stormed in his chest, the confusion and despair, the relief but the emotion he felt strongest; depression. Trudging almost zombie-like to the dead body of his father, he cleared the debris from around him before dragging him to rest beside his deceased wife. Almost surprised he still had tears to cry, he let them flow freely as he mourned their deaths.

Standing a few meters away, the man watched silently as the boy grieved over his parents. His heart ached at the sight of the boy. He knew the same pain only too well. Turning round, he paced forwards towards the remains of the monstrous beast, now lying pathetically dead. Raising his hand into the air, the man started uttering words in an ineligible tongue. Immediately, the monster's body began disintegrating slowly until it became just a small ball of black light before vanishing completely.

Seeing his work completed, the man made to walk out of the front door before he was interrupted by a voice from behind him.

"Can you take me with you?" asked Gael, now standing behind him, the tear marks on his face still visible. Stunned momentarily, the man started to say no but stopped as he saw the distraught expression on the boy's face.

"Why?"

Wiping the tears on his face, Gael said gravely, "Take me with you and teach me how to fight,"

"I'm sorry for the loss of your parents, kid. I understand your pain but you're gonna regret it if you choose to come with me,"

Pretending not to hear what the man had just said, Gael spoke again, "I knew something bad was gonna happen. I had a feeling something was coming. I could have stopped all of this. All of this.."

His interest piquing, the man asked, "What do you mean you knew something bad was gonna happen?"

"I don't know how to explain it," muttered Gael. Rubbing his forehead as though it pained him to think about it, he continued, "Something just seemed wrong. Something in my chest pained me. It got so painful I couldn't breathe. I tried to tell them we needed to get away but they wouldn't listen. They just wouldn't listen; they thought I was trying to be funny. It's my fault they're dead," cried Gael.

"Take me with you and teach me how to fight. Teach me how to kill those monsters. Teach me how I can avenge my parents,"

"Kid, you're only thirteen. Revenge isn't gonna do you any good. Trust me, I've been down that road and it's gonna eat you up inside. You will regret it,"

"Let me make that decision for myself," fought Gael adamantly, staring intently into the man's eyes, challenging him to question his desire again.

Seeing the fire and conviction in Gael's eyes, the man couldn't help but sigh. He gave a non-committal grunt before turning and walking away, his footsteps audible as he stepped on the dried leaves that scattered the walkway.

As the man walked away, Gael couldn't believe he really was going to be left there alone. Staring blankly, the man's figure got smaller and smaller. The cold breeze hit him hard stinging the side of his still moist face. What did he expect though? For a complete stranger to just take him under his wing? Devastated, he fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands. "Please.. Don't leave me.."

Suddenly, the man stopped dead in his tracks before turning around to find Gael on his knees crying silently. Cocking his head, he let out an exasperated sigh before shouting, "What are you waiting for, kid? Christmas?"

Momentarily stunned, Gael lifted his head upwards. The man stood there, waiting as he beckoned for Gael to come and follow. He gestured for him to come quickly before turning around again. Relieved, he wiped his face on his sleeves before sprinting to catch up to the man to walk beside him.

"Thank you," said Gael.

"Yeah, so what's your name?" asked the man. "I'm Alex, by the way,"

"It's Gael. Gael Evans," said Gael. He paused as he thought about what had just happened earlier. Straightening his thoughts out, he peered at Alex and asked, "What was that thing attacked my family?"

"It was a demon," answered Alex in a matter-of-fact tone. "They materialise out of nowhere at random times and they'll attack anything. They've been around for centuries,"

"What? But I've never even heard of them!" cried Gael. "And what.. What about you? What are you?"

"Haha, me kid? I'm a Crusader. Killing those demons is my job," laughed Alex. "See, you're not supposed to have heard of them. When a Crusader finishes killing the demon, we're supposed to remove the memories of any witnesses. These demons have been around forever. Some of our research shows that events at places like Machu Picchu were the cause of demon attacks,"

"You can do that?" asked a disbelieving Gael. "But why can I still remember what happened?"

"Well obviously because I didn't remove your memories. You want to be one of us, remember?" said Alex, incredulous. Cocking an eyebrow, he muttered under his breath, "Let's hope you're stronger than you are smart,"

Having unheard Alex's latest comment, Gael asked, "Where we going?"

"Headquarters," was all Alex said.

They didn't speak anymore after that. After walking for what seemed like hours, they arrived at a beach, a sea stretching out before it. Gael estimated it to be around midnight. The moon was high in the sky, its bright reflection reflected in the waters below though a thick mist had descended on the surface of the water. The waves crashed periodically against the beach, a soft crashing noise. It was a cold night and the sea breeze stung the skin like knives. Gael closed his eyes. He had always been fond of the sea, having visiting this beach numerous times with his parents. Soaking in the smell and sounds of the sea, a tear escaped his eye, rolling down his cheek.

Wiping the tear away, he turned to Alex who stood gazing the moon, almost longingly before asking, "What are we doing here? We going fishing?"

"We wait," said Alex firmly. Accepting the answer without remark, Gael sat down on the sand, before turning his gaze towards the moon. Bright little dots littered the sky, as the king of the night skies, full and round, stood commandingly among them. It was a tremendous sight, one of the endless advantages of living away from the dizzying lights in the city.

It was the last thing Gael remembered. "Wake up, sleepyhead," said Alex as he nudged Gael in the ribs.

Opening his eyes, he saw it was still night, he had probably been sleeping only for a few minutes. Sitting upright, through his half-open eyes, he saw a little boat in the waters, two shadowy figures standing on them. Walking groggily towards the boat, as the two figures became clearer, Gael recognised one of them to be Alex, who sat smiling. Turning to the one beside him, he saw it was a considerably older man, the bald patch on his head gleaming in the moonlight, dressed simply in a sleeveless shirt and long pants.

Incredibly skinny, the bones in his hands seemed to rattle as he waved. "Hello there,"

Bowing slightly, Gael returned the wave before replying, "Hello, I'm Gael,"

"Hello there, laddie. I be Angus, your neighbourhood sailor," said Angus drearily. "Well, I used to be a sailor in me younger days. Nowadays I just sail this boat back and forth every day," he continued, a hint of misery in his voice.

Affording a smile, Gael quickly jumped onto the boat causing it to rock from side to side. Taking a seat in front of Alex, he winced a little as he sat down onto the wet surface of the wooden bench.

"Don't worry; it's not a long boat ride. Headquarters is on an island not far from here, always hidden from view. The fog here never goes away, quite an apt location for a place like headquarters," sighed Alex.

Far too tired to respond, Gael merely nodded before yawning widely.

"Yeah, you might wanna get some sleep," mumbled Alex, before he too yawned loudly. Both lowered their heads before succumbing to the sleepiness.

"Yeah everyone gets to sleep. I'll man this thing by myself as always," grumbled Angus, paddling the boat through the murky waters. Complete silence descended as the boat moved through the water, deeper and deeper into the fog, only the gentle sounds of the paddle in the water reminding them of their current surroundings. As the fog grew thicker, anyone other than an experienced sailor like Angus would have easily gotten lost in it.

After what seemed like hours, finally the shadow of an island loomed on the horizon. Glancing at the sleeping figures, he felt it was more prudent to let them sleep than to wake them up just to let them know they were getting close. As the boat moved closer to the island, the island became clearer, its sandy white beach already within reach.

"Get up you two," said Angus, drearily. "We're here,"

Gael didn't immediately wake up but when a full grown man falls onto you, trying to walk half-asleep on a rocking boat, you're not going to be able to sleep through it.

"OWW!" screamed Gael, as Alex fell onto his chest.

"Whoops, sorry about that, kid," mumbled Alex. The boat rocked gently as it floated just a way from the beach, the waters shallow enough for them to wade across. "I'll see you again," said Alex, turning to Angus as he got to his feet.

Putting a hand onto the side of the boat, he readied himself to jump into the clear blue waters. Glancing sideways at Gael, who still sat half-asleep massaging his bruised chest, he called, "Come on, Gael. We still have some walking to do before we reach headquarters,"

Still aching from the earlier collision, Gael stood up gingerly. Alex smiled before jumping right into the waters, causing the boat to rock violently which inadvertently caused Gael to fly headfirst into the waters.

"Can we just get to headquarters already?" cried Gael, picking himself up. Wiping the water off his face, he looked up expectantly to see Alex smiling stupidly but there was no one there. Suddenly he was all alone, totally drenched in seawater, not even the boat he had fallen from was there. Heart racing, Gael waded as fast as he could through the waters before racing onto the beach. Frantically looking around for Alex, he couldn't see his blonde head anywhere.

"ALEX! Where are you?" screamed Gael but no one answered. He couldn't see Alex anywhere, he was all alone on a foreign beach. "ALEX!" screamed Gael again but it was of no use. Panicking, he screamed his name over and over again until his throat hurt.

Pacing the beach all by himself, looking for any trace of where Alex could be, he walked towards the green forested area beyond the beach. A path lay through the forest, cutting it like a knife, providing safe passage through an otherwise dangerous forest. Shivering miserably, Gael stared at the long path before glancing at the empty beach. He was soaked from head to toe and the cold breeze pierced his skin like sharp needles. Rubbing his hands together to generate some warmth, he half-heartedly began his walk down the path.

It was a cold night and the trees were tall and menacing-looking as though they held many dark and vicious predators, but Gael continued walking and from where he was, he could just make out the outline of a tall building shrouded in darkness. But the darkness and the eerie sounds of the forest began to excite his over-active imagination and before long, his slow walk had accelerated into a desperate sprint. As he ran, the trees on either side of him began to grow thinner and thinner. Suddenly, Gael stopped dead in his tracks awestruck by the sight before him.

It was a monumental structure, a castle-like building, with its many turrets all rising high into the sky. The walls were a sickly gray, covered in moss and algae and the windows were all dark, creating a sinister atmosphere. Gael felt a sharp chill down his spine as he marvelled at the structure. A long bridge extended from the cliff Gael was on, connecting it to the opposite cliff, which supported the mammoth structure on top.

"This must be headquarters," said Gael in a barely audible voice.

"Yup. This is headquarters," said a voice to his left. Bitterly turning to his left, it was the sight of Alex standing proud and tall admiring the place that he called home, that greeted him. In a single swift motion, Gael had Alex on the ground painfully trapped in a leg-lock.

"OW! OW! OW! Let go of me, you little demon!" shrieked Alex, as he rolled from side to side in a desperate attempt to free himself from Gael's deathly hold. "I didn't even do anything!"

"Didn't do anything!" screamed Gael. "You left a thirteen-year old all alone on a cold, dark beach!"

"SO! It was pretty clear where the headquarters was,"

"I could have been attacked! By like walking man-eating sharks or.. or a hungry man-eating tribe!"

The pair continued tussling on the ground, Gael's painful leg-lock unrelenting. Unseen to either, something was approaching them. Stepping out onto the clearing from the forest, the thing peered around for a moment before eyeing the heap of black that was Gael and Alex. Moving towards them, it suddenly spoke coldly, "What the hell are you doing, Alex?"

Startled, both stopped, hastily glancing at the figure just feet away.

"Oh, it's just you," Alex grimaced. Brushing the dirt away from his clothes as he stood up, he offered a hand to Gael who reluctantly took.

Hoisted onto his feet, Gael peered at the person that had greeted Alex so coldly. It was a woman. She was tall and fair-skinned. The glossy jet-black hair that went down to her mid-back carried with it a strange glint of frost silver. Her pair of dark eyes full of mystery, her nose tall and her lips full and luscious beckoning anyone who looked at it to try and commit some lustful sin.

"Who's the kid you brought with you?" asked the woman, her tone of voice colder than the night breeze.

"A potential new recruit,"

Cocking an eyebrow, she inquired, "Does he have any potential?"

"Yeah, I think he might," answered Alex, "He's from the Hoan Village,"

Hoan Village, the town Gael had grew up in, was where he and his family had lived for the whole of his life. It was also the place he lost them forever. It was a simple town, a population not more than five thousand. Nothing ever happened in that town but it was a simple and carefree lifestyle, one which Gael had never fully appreciated until now.

_You only miss something when it's gone._

His mother had mentioned that phrase to him before but he never truly understood the meaning until now.

"Gael, this is Claire, a Crusader like me,"

Gael bowed respectfully before rising again. Claire's face was mere inches from him now, startling him.

"Hoan Village, eh? Interesting.." remarked Claire. With that, she turned swiftly, her cloak swishing behind her as she made her way onto the long bridge. "Get him in quickly. The Chief is going to want to take a look at him," called Claire without turning.

"She is someone you would never want to see get angry," commented Alex, shivering.

"Is she really that scary?"

"You don't even want to know, kid," said Alex, putting his hand onto Gael's shoulder. "Well, come on then. It's time to see headquarters,"

Together, they walked onto the bridge. Gael held tightly onto the sides of the bridge as it swayed gently. Peering over the side, he saw it was a long way down onto the dark reaches of the valley. Focusing his eyes onto the big doors that stood so rigidly, it looked as though it hadn't opened in centuries. As they stepped onto the cliff, Alex suddenly made a dart towards the side of the doors. Gael hadn't noticed it earlier but there was a stone statue of a griffon that stood there. Gael was no expert but he could see it was carved by someone with considerable talent. Alex made his way up to the stone griffon, moving his way to its back before tugging on its stone tail. Gael laughed at the absurdness of his actions until he realised it was actually a secret way to get the doors to open.

Clinking and clanking as the gears and mechanics of the doors turned, the big doors suddenly started opening as though a giant invisible person was pushing them.

'Wow amazing!" exclaimed Gael.

"Yeah it's cool I admit. You better remember how to open these doors next time. I had to sleep outside for three days waiting for someone to come and open them cause I had totally forgotten how to,"

Gael nodded as the doors finally opened completely, revealing a small room. It would have been empty if not for a reception desk, a young woman sitting in a chair before it, filing her nails. Gael felt a tad vanquished as he had expected something much grander than this. The woman looked pretty though it was hard to tell as her long brown hair covered much of her face. Alex skipped inside quickly, Gael following behind.

"Hey Karen," greeted Alex cheerily.

"Hey," replied Karen, without looking upwards, her eyes on her nails. "Chief is already waiting for you,"

"Ah, Claire must have told him about you," said Alex to Gael. "Thanks, Karen,"

Turning to the left, Gael saw an elevator standing. He crept towards the doors, peering at the side, where instead of a simple button to call the elevator, there were a host of buttons of numbers and letters.

Alex pulled out a wallet from his coat, before pulling out a blue card. "You need this to use the elevator," Tapping the card on a large blue circle where the elevator button usually sits, the elevator doors suddenly swung open.

"Wow," exclaimed Gael.

"You really are a country bumpkin, aren't you," said Alex, as they entered into the brightly lit elevators. A camera was positioned at the corner of the elevator and another set of numbers and letters were where the floor numbers were supposed to be.

'Don't underestimate the countryside," said Gael, a little annoyed.

"Yeah yeah. See these numbers and letters? You need to remember the codes for each floor or room," With that, he quickly pressed on A, K and G. Almost instantly, the doors swung open again but it wasn't the Karen and the reception desk that greeted him. They were already magically at another floor, a long hallway stretching out before them.

"Amazing,"

"Yeah, don't ask me how it works. Cause I don't really know either," said Alex. It was a long and brightly lit hallway, a big red carpet covering the centre of it. As they walked forward, Gael counted 4 doors on each side.

"What's in those doors?" asked Gael.

"I don't really know to be honest. But we're not supposed to enter them," replied Alex without much interest in the matter.

Gael's curiosity was piqued but he knew better than to go creating trouble for himself. He followed Alex quietly before stopping at a door at the end of the hallway. Alex knocked once before a loud, gruff voice shouted, "Come in!"

Opening the door, Alex motioned for Gael to go in first. Stepping into the room, Gael saw it was a really big room. A large fish tank stood on the left, a large collection of fishes and plants in it. In front of it was a large conference table that could probably sit at least twenty people. There were a number of paintings and bookshelves that lined the walls. In the centre of the room though was a simple table, littered with documents and stationery. The man sitting behind it stood up as soon as Gael stepped in. He was a well-built man in his forties, his hair short and neat and wearing a black suit but the most engaging feature was his face. His eyes were a cold and ruthless black and he clenched noticeably as he saw Gael.

"Hello. My name's Gael," said Gael, as he bowed respectfully. The man walked briskly forward towards Gael. As he walked closer, Gael was shocked to see his face had a long scar down the side.

He stood face to face with Gael, sizing him up for a full two seconds. Gael felt scared and defenceless as he stood nervously waiting for a response. Smiling weakly, he offered his hand for a handshake.

Suddenly, the man smiled widely as he shook Gael's hand in earnest. "Welcome! You must be the new potential recruit. A little skinny but that's okay and pretty good-looking too. Where's Alex?"

Sighing in relief, Gael turned around as Alex finally made his way into the room. "Hey what's up Chief?" said Alex cheerily. As he entered, the chief quickly gestured him to follow him to his desk. "Wait here for abit, Gael,"

Gael merely nodded as he watched Alex and the chief walk towards the desk. They were probably going to talk about him now thought Gael. They conversed in soft whispers so Gael couldn't make out what they were talking about. After a few minutes, finally Alex turned and called for Gael to come. Gael walked quickly before taking a seat on the chair that Alex offered. The chief who sat behind the desk spoke immediately.

"Tell me exactly what happened before the attack," said the chief.

"The attack?" asked Gael nervously, turning to Alex.

"Just tell him how you felt and how you sensed something," said Alex.

Turning to the chief Gael started, "We were eating dinner and we were talking normally. It just came like all of a sudden. This feeling, like something was trying to eat my chest. Like something was trying to eat my – my soul?" said Gael, who shivered unknowingly. The chief merely nodded, motioning him to continue.

"Gael! Dinner's ready!" cried out Gael's mother, Abigail from the kitchen.

"Coming!" replied Gael. He placed down his Xbox controller and switched off the television. He smelled chicken and knew his mother had cooked him his favourite dish; chicken stew. Looking forward to a hearty dinner, he rushed downstairs to the kitchen table. His father was already sitting at the head of the table and he took the seat directly adjacent to him.

"Chicken stew! Brilliant work mom!" shouted Gael in glee.

"Haha. It's like raising a wolf cub," smiled Gael's father, Eric before proceeding to howl loudly. Gael laughed before he too started howling loudly.

"Settle down the two of you. You can go hunt for rabbits in the woods after dinner," said Abigail, half-amused half-annoyed. She walked through the kitchen doorway and took the seat to the left of Eric. Seeing his mother take her seat, Gael grabbed his spoon, ready to attack his stew until a piercing pain struck his chest.

Gael yelped in pain, clutching his chest. Rapid images started flying through his mind; images of a great dark beast. Something in his body was trying to tell him to get away from that house; it got harder to breathe, almost choking.

"Gael! What's wrong?" cried Abigail, as she got up from her seat and rushed to Gael's side.

"You okay, son?" said Eric, a lot calmer than his wife.

Gasping for air, Gael managed to speak, "W-w-we need to g-g-get out of here right now," Gael added, "Something is coming..'

Abigail and Eric exchanged worried glances. "You need to lie down, Gael," said Eric, taking Gael's arm to wrap around his shoulder.

Gael pulled his arm back as his breathing returned to normal and the chest pains gradually stopped. "I don't know what just happened..But please. I think we need to get out of here,"

"Gael, I think you might be feeling a little sick," rationalised Abigail. "Come on, let's go to your room. You get some rest and we'll have the stew later,"

"I'm not sick! Come on! Something is coming!" cried Gael.

"What are you talking about? What is coming?" cried an exasperated Eric. The moment he uttered those words, a two foot beast came crashing through the door.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he explained the rest of the story. Heaving, Gael wiped away his tears on his sleeve.

"Okay that's enough. I'm sorry for your loss, Gael. You deserve an explanation and I will try to do to the best of my abilities. You might be a Chosen one,"

"A Chosen one? Like Alex?"

"Yes, just like Alex. Many, many millenniums ago, the world was attacked and ravaged by seven great demons. They torn up and completely destroyed the land. The world was on the brink of destruction. But a man stepped forward, a man chosen by the gods to destroy these evils. He wielded the power of the heavens and he was able to destroy these evils,"

"But there are still demons attacking everywhere, Alex told me so,"

"That's right. He was not able to destroy these evils completely. Millions of pieces of the demons still lingered in the air, harmless by themselves. But every now and then, one of the pieces will be able to manifest itself into a demon,"

"This is too unbelievable. What happened to the man?" asked Gael.

"He died, fighting the great demons. But very importantly, as he died, millions of pieces of his soul were also scattered to the skies. And every now and then, a child is born with a piece of that soul. With that piece, that child will able to use the powers of the heavens and fight these demons,"

Grasping the severity of the situation, Gael realised something, "So you're saying I was born with a piece of his soul?"

"That we cannot be sure of but we have a way of finding out. We are an organization that finds and trains these children into becoming warriors against these demons. We call ourselves Crusaders," And with that, he stood up before asking, "Are you sure you wish to become one of us?"

With one final fleeting thought of his parents, Gael looked resolutely at the chief before answering clearly, "Yes,"

"Then follow me. Alex, are you coming along?"

"Man, I don't really like being in that room," whined Alex. "I'll tag along, I guess," Alex relented after seeing a pleading look on Gael's face.

"Very well. Off we go then," The chief walked briskly ahead of them, leading the way, Alex and Gael following quickly behind.

"The man who defeated the demons all those years ago, how was he chosen by the gods?" asked Gael.

"Not too sure myself. But he was said to be so powerful, he could turn mountains into rubble and oceans into nought in seconds,"

"Amazing. So I could be that strong too?"

"The strength of a Crusader depends on the strength of the fragment he was born with, so you might be the strongest we've ever had," said Alex. "Or the weakest," he added.

Gael grimaced. If he was born with a weak fragment then how was he supposed to take on all those demons.

Alex turned to look at Gael. Seeing the worried look on his face, he said, "Don't worry about it. Strength of a Crusader aside, killing demons is bread and butter for a Crusader,"

Smiling slightly, Gael nodded, his hopes perking up a little. Finally they stood before the large doors that opened into the elevator; the chief swiftly pulled out his card and tapped it. The elevator ride was just as quick as the one before.

As the doors slid open, Gael saw it was a really big and dark room. Computers and electronic equipment filled up most of the room but the only thing Gael had eyes for was an enormous glass cylinder that stood in the centre of the room. As they clambered out of the elevator, a group of people came to greet them, all dressed in long robes of white.

"Gael, I'd like you meet our research team," said the chief, motioning to the white robed personnel. Gael bowed respectfully before uttering a quick greeting. A red-haired man stepped forward, his face long wearing rectangular rimmed glasses. He looked exhausted as though he had barely any sleep.

"And this is the captain of the research team, Fahee," added the chief.

"Heh, nice to meet you, kid. Come on then, time to see what you've got," said Fahee, smiling widely.

Invigorated by the warm smiles, Gael felt less awkward of himself as they moved towards the centre of the room. "What's gonna happen?" asked Gael.

"I see the chief and Alex haven't told you anything yet," replied Fahee. The giant cylinder gave out a bright greenish glow. There looked to be nothing in it though Gael couldn't be sure of that. "See that?" asked Fahee, pointing towards the cylinder. "You'll be stepping into that and that's where you'll meet Minerva. She'll do the rest,"

"What do you mean?" asked Gael a little worried.

"You'll see," said Fahee, not too reassuringly.

Gael glanced backwards towards the chief who smiled darkly and Alex who just shrugged. His heart thumping now, he was led towards the cylinder by four of the researchers. A door had been constructed at the side of the cylinder.

"Just walk in there," said one of the researchers. Gael nodded obediently. He had a whole plethora of questions burning to ask but he wasn't able to say anything. With a deep breath, he turned the door handle and stepped into the cylinder.

As soon as he stepped inside, the door behind him was closed shut immediately. It was completely empty inside the cylinder except for a greenish glow around the walls. Was he supposed to wait for this Minerva to come?

That question was shortly answered as suddenly a shape began to form above him. Balls of gases began to swim to and fro through the air as they melded. New balls of gases appeared randomly as they twisted and turned forming shapes on the biggest ball in the centre. Finally, it seemed to complete; an enormous face with hundreds of little faces where her hair should be.

"Are you Gael Evans?" asked the being, with a serene almost godly voice.

"Yes I am," answered Gael nervously.

"I sense great power in you though I have to do more.. thorough scan. I sense fear as well. Are you afraid of me?"

"No I'm not. Are you Minerva?" said Gael defiantly.

"Hahaha, you have a strong will. That will be important if you wish to fight and yes I am Minerva," said Minerva calmly. " Are you ready then, Gael? Ready to find out if you can be a Crusader?"

Hesitating slightly, Gael spoke in strong voice, "I am ready,"

Smiling, Minerva spoke again, "And so we begin,"

Suddenly, long tentacles protruded from Minerva which darted towards Gael before wrapping him from head to toe. Panicking, Gael tried to get the tentacles off but they had him wrapped so tightly, he could barely move his arms and legs. He fell to the floor, squirming and screaming violently until the tentacles wrapped around his face, preventing him from screaming anymore. Incredibly, Gael's body started to disintegrate into small balls of light. All the pain from the tentacles were numbed and all that he felt anymore was pure bliss and sanctity.

Where his body once lay squirming on the ground, it was now gone, leaving only hundreds of little balls of lights. It was the weirdest sensation he had ever felt, he could no longer feel any part of his body but he felt more exhilarated than he had ever been. He had no body but his mind remained.

And just as suddenly as his body had begun to disintegrate, the balls of light began to rise and they began to fuse until finally Gael stood right where he stood before. Unknowingly, Gael stood panting as though he had just ran a hundred miles. "What.. the .. hell.. just happened?" heaved Gael as he struggled to speak. He collapsed to the ground as he sought to catch his breath. Looking upwards at Minerva, he saw she was beaming brightly.

"You are a very curious specimen indeed," said Minerva unnaturally.

Worried, Gael asked again, "What you mean?"

"You are the first one that has a fluctuating fragment," said Minerva. "Very curious indeed,"

"Fluctuating? Is that bad?"

"It is not bad. Just very strange. I know very little about it but I know this. You could become of the strongest and mightiest in this organization or you could just as easily fizzle out and amount to nothing,"

Those were her final words as she slowly disappeared, leaving Gael dazed and confused on the floor. The door behind him swung open and it was Fahee who came in and helped Gael off the floor.

"You okay there?"

"I'm fine,"

"Everyone knows the result. We've never had anyone like you, that's not necessarily a good thing,"

Gael groaned and wondered what was going to happen to him now. As they stepped outside the cylinder, he came face to face with the chief, who seemed to have the faintest of smiles etched on his face.

"Now we begin your training,"


End file.
